Joshua takes out Ngannou with crushing KO finish in Round 2

Anthony Joshua scored a spectacular knockout of Francis Ngannou in the second round of their heavyweight fight Friday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a right hand that landed cleanly on the former heavyweight champion's chin. UFC and rendered him unconscious.

After Ngannou came to his senses, ring officials administered oxygen to the 37-year-old, who was boxing for only the second time.

England's Joshua, 34, scored a first-round knockdown with a right hand, and Ngannou looked unsteady after beating the count. Joshua produced another knockdown in the second round, a balance shot that hit Ngannou's left ear.

Moments after Ngannou got up from the second knockdown, Joshua planted him permanently on the canvas with a perfectly placed straight straight that landed flush. Ngannou's leg buckled awkwardly beneath him as the MMA fighter's 272½ pounds fell in a heap to the canvas.

“On the road to the championship, you always have to stay focused,” said Joshua, a former two-time heavyweight champion. “It was me who was walking away from this mission. … But when I saw [Ngannou] and the Tyson Fury fight, I was like, “Damn, this guy can fight,” so I said I need a piece of that.

“He's a source of inspiration… He's a great champion. That doesn't take away from his abilities because in boxing, it's one or the other. He can come back.”

Ngannou took to social media after the defeat, publication on“Sorry guys, I let you all down. Today was a bad day at the office but tomorrow will be another day. Thank you all for your love.”

Ngannou (0-2) shocked the sports world in October when he faced Fury, ESPN's No. 1 heavyweight, and dropped him in the third round en route to a split decision loss. Hailing from Cameroon, Ngannou is considered one of the best heavyweight boxers of all time in the UFC, but it was still a major surprise that he was able to rub shoulders with the best heavyweight boxer in the world.

Joshua (28-3, 25 KO) was scheduled to face fellow former champion Deontay Wilder on this date before Joseph Parker scored a surprise victory over Wilder in December. On that same card, Joshua scored a fourth-round TKO victory over Otto Wallin.

With Wilder out of the mix, Ngannou stepped in for an unprecedented second professional boxing match against one of the sport's elite. This performance didn't go as well as the first.

“He believed in his dreams and he followed them,” Fury said. “He made a lot of money, which is fantastic for supporting his family. He's had a great journey. Keep it up if he wants to box. … He's still undefeated as an MMA champion. Just because 'He got beat here tonight, he can go back to MMA and destroy this world again. … Keep your head up.'

Ngannou's last MMA fight took place in January 2022, when he defeated Ciryl Gane via decision to retain his UFC heavyweight championship. He later parted ways with the organization due to disagreement over his financial worth and signed with PFL.

But Ngannou has yet to compete in the PFL and told ESPN on Sunday that he's not sure if he'll have an MMA fight this year. Of course, that was before he was summarily dismissed by Joshua in a boxing ring.

“I told him he shouldn’t leave boxing,” Joshua said. “He can do well. Don't forget he fought two fights and fought the best.”

Joshua is ESPN's No. 3 heavyweight. The Olympic gold medalist won his first title in 2016 and made six successful defenses – including victories over Wladimir Klitschko and Parker – before being stopped by Andy Ruiz in seven rounds in one of the biggest upsets of all time of the glamor division.

He regained all three of his titles from Ruiz by decision later that year in Riyadh and, after a successful defense, was outpointed by Oleksandr Usyk in 2021. Usyk beat Joshua a second time by decision in the 2022 rematch .

Joshua met with trainer Derrick James after the two losses to Usyk and beat Jermain Franklin and Robert Helenius last year. Joshua switched sides again ahead of December's fight against Wallin, teaming up with former Fury trainer Ben Davison, and he looked rejuvenated.

Joshua returned to his search-and-destroy style in December, breaking Wallin's nose and forcing him to retreat to his stool.

After an explosive knockout victory over Ngannou, there is no doubt that Joshua has fully regained the confidence that seemed lost in the aftermath of defeats to Ruiz and Usyk.

“He destroyed Francis Ngannou,” Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn said. “The best heavyweight in the world, and I can’t wait for him to beat Tyson Fury.”

For now, the world's best heavyweight will be determined on May 18 in Riyadh when Fury meets Usyk for the undisputed championship. They are also lined up for a rematch later this year.

But if Fury can emerge victorious from the series of fights, the long-awaited showdown with Joshua could finally come to fruition.

“It’s me and Usyk fighting for the No. 1 and No. 2 positions and the undisputed world championship,” Fury said.

He added: “I had a bloody performance against Ngannou. I never said anything different. [Joshua] knocked him out, and that's what a boxer should have done to him. If [Joshua] fights me in the future after he finishes Usyk twice next year, it will be a different thing.”